Canadian-led team finds ship that polar explorer Shackleton died on

An undated side-scan sonar image shows the wreck of Quest, Sir Ernest Shackleton's last expedition ship on which he died off the island of South Georgia in the South Atlantic in 1922, as it lies upright and intact on the seabed at a depth of 390 metres northwest of St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada in this picture obtained by Reuters on June 12, 2024. Quest was discovered on June 9, 2024, by an expedition led by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Canadian Geographic/Royal Canadian Geographical Society/

OTTAWA - A team of divers in Atlantic Canada has found the Quest, the ship on which renowned polar explorer Ernest Shackleton died in 1922, the Royal Canadian Geographical Society said on Wednesday.

In a statement, it said the Quest, a schooner-rigged vessel, lay at a depth of 390 meters (1,280 feet) off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada's easternmost province. The ship, which was damaged by ice and sank in 1962 when being used by seal hunters, was found intact on Sunday.

Shackleton, preparing for his fourth journey to the Antarctic, died of a heart attack aboard the Quest on Jan 5, 1922, near the remote island of South Georgia in the South Atlantic. He was 47.

After his death, a Norwegian company bought the Quest and used it for expeditions. It was also put into service with the Royal Canadian Navy during World War Two.

The society's announcement marks the second time in two years that one of the Anglo-Irish explorer's ships has been found. In March 2022, search teams discovered the remains of the Endurance, which was crushed by Antarctic ice and sank some 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) in November 1915.

The 28-man Endurance crew all made it home alive in what is considered one of the great survival stories. They trekked across the sea ice before setting sail in three lifeboats and reaching the uninhabited Elephant Island.

Shackleton and handful of crew mates then rowed some 1,290 km (800 miles) to South Georgia and sought help from a whaling station. On his fourth rescue attempt, Shackleton returned to pick up the rest of the crew in August 1916.

Source: Reuters